In recent time, the use of alternative energy such as solar energy has become very popular. Solar panels, or collectors that collect the solar energy, has been widely used in the fields including, but are not limited to, generating electricity, heating water and air, and for light purposes. These solar panels mainly collect solar energy from a chief solar energy source ‘sun’. These panels are usually placed on the roof structure or an open ground to collect solar energy from the sun directly.
Most of the currently used solar panels are mounted in a fixed non-moving position. For example, most of the solar panels are installed at the non-adjustable angles on the south side of a roof slope in the northern hemisphere. These solar panels do not tend to utilize the path of the sun in the sky to collect the optimum amount of solar energy due to their fixed and non-adjustable position.
However, various types of mounting systems for the solar panels are prevalent these days that tend to track the path of the sun in the sky. A typical solar panel on these mounting systems generally moves along more than one axis. These systems are not user customizable and flexible in terms of their installation. Moreover, these systems are not fine tuned with reference to the position of the sun in the sky across all seasons in a calendar year. Further, these systems do not take into account factors such as effect of wind on the solar panels, power saving, operating cost reduction and easy to install anywhere. Nor do these systems generate their electrical power to control the orientation of the solar panels. These systems also do not automatically adjust the orientation of the solar panels to maximize the electricity produced by reflected sunlight when the sun is blocked by cloud, trees or building structures.
Based on the above discussions, there is a need for a mounting system that is suitable for providing a precise tracking with respect to the position of the sun for the solar panel. Further the mounting system should also be capable of maintaining an azimuth of 90 degree with the sun. Moreover, the system should also be capable of providing a reduced power requirement, an easy to install and an option of user customizability.